We’re building a house! It’s a group effort, really! Our friends
Huguette and Mark are the builders.
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| Before the Pour |
They do everything. We try to help. Sometimes
that means staying away! And sometimes we are invited to get our fingers into
the process!
I knew this process was going to be a joy,
when, the first time we talked about the house, Mark said to me, “When you’re
drinking your coffee in the morning, and you’re all alone, what do you want to
be looking at from your window?” The designing of the house has been the same
ever since. We had regular meetings over the last year, with meals, drinks,
casual and still formal, hashing out ideas and, together, implementing them
into the design.
We watch as the footprint of our home becomes
evident. First step is carefully deciding which trees need to be cut in order
to create space. We approach this task with a great deal of care, having real
conversations with each of the trees chosen, apologizing for disrupting their
lives and promising to use them all, in some way, in the creation of our home. Stacked
in anticipation of becoming our floors, ceilings and walls, the trees now are sitting
comfortably drying and waiting to be prepared for such purpose.
The dig begins and what we find underground
helps determine possibilities. Gabriola’s nickname, “The Rock” is obvious as we
begin to make room. On that rock will exist our crawl space and our house is
starting to emerge. With Paul and myself in India we leave the concrete pour
completely to Huguette and Mark. We suggest placing tangible items in the
concrete to include meaning and concepts that are less physical and just as
important.
“Huummmm…. that’s interesting!” I think! I
like this!
And so, I begin my journey of self-reflection.
“What are the elements I want to embed in the structure of our home? What is
important to us? What do we want to perpetuate, conceptually, in the world, even
after our physical presence is no longer?
Tomorrow the concrete will be poured. The
walls of our house will be erected and the foundation on which our shelter
stands will be established. Along with the actual materials needed for a solid,
stable structure, our house will also be built upon the following forces, each
represented by a symbol for it’s meaning:
1- A
wooden spoon represents Family and Sustenance. Our family gathered most of
the time in the kitchen. We made our food together, for the most part. Each
child learned to cook in his/her own way and each one felt a sense of
responsibility for our meals. Although I was generally ‘in charge’, everybody
participated. I remember when I actually realized that. One day on our way home
from school after picking up each of the kids, one of them got into the car and
said. “What are we making for dinner tonight?” I knew then, that we had some
good teamwork going on!
2- A
candle for light embodies our family’s
weekly ritual for welcoming the Shabbat, providing for a day of rest, shedding
light on our week to come and giving voice to the gratitude we all shared. Our
Judaism is solidly based in the ideas of Tikkun Olam, repairing the Universe,
and we tried hard to teach our children to live a conscious life where we are,
in fact “our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
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| Included in the Concrete.... |
3- One
plastic earring-
One Sunday evening, my then 7 year old step daughter, Julia, comes running into
the house after spending a weekend at her ‘other’ home. She had gone to garage
sales that weekend and she excitedly came to our house with a present for me.
Knowing how much I loved earrings, she had bought me a funky pair of rubber and
plastic earrings made of turquoise and yellow, beige and black geometric
shapes. I loved those earrings because of their simplicity and the complexity
of its intention. May our house always be full of the gift
of giving and the joy of receiving.
4- A
photograph of my oldest friend and myself represents long
lasting friendships. I feel blessed to have so many special friendships in my life. Sustaining communication is sometime
challenging and the benefits are so worth the task! May our house be filled
with friendships…all kinds…. new and long time ones, and may the people who
live in our house never feel alone!
5- I’ve
represented Love with a handkerchief! My
husband, Paul is the only person I know of my generation who still uses a
handkerchief every day! May our new house be filled always with the kind of
love that Paul and I share. May on-going communication, thoughtfulness,
understanding, and passion thrive here, and may the occupants continue to dream
big always.
6- The
Sanskrit symbol of “ohm” is the primordial sound that vibrates through our bodies
when we chant. It is the visual representation of universal wholeness and a
reminder of the worldly possibilities. For me, it is “home” unencumbered by
walls and roofs and a reminder of the boundlessness in one’s own potential. I
pray that anyone who enters this house will feel at “home’ within.
And may it all be so…
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